Well, our Tennessee Christmas has come and gone, and while we really enjoyed our visit with the Grandparents, I can honestly say I am happy to be home.
We made it safely to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Sunday, in plenty of time for the Harbison Christmas gathering. I was still not feeling good, but Mike was so helpful and really took over taking care of the kids. I napped when Charlie did, which, as we all know, meant that I took a 2+ hour nap. I felt a little better after that, but still not great. The Harbison gathering was lots of fun though and included a gift exchange, dirty Santa style. Mike and I both ended up with the gifts we brought, but that was ok by us!
After sleeping 10 hours that night, I felt much better on Monday, but unfortunately, Charlie started to go downhill. He had this awful, deep, bark-like cough that started at around noon and just kept getting worse throughout the day. He wasn't quite himself either and didn't have the energy he usually has. By bedtime, his cough had gotten worse, but we all decided to see how he was in the morning and then take him to a local clinic if need be. Well...
We didn't make it until morning. At 12:15a, Charlie woke us up, screaming at the top of his lungs. He was coughing, really "barking" like a seal, and had a fever of 102.9. Grandpa and I immediately put on our coats and headed to the local ER. (Mike stayed back so he could get some sleep and be somewhat refreshed for the drive home.)
Long story short, Charlie was diagnosed with croup and pneumonia in the tip of his right lung (not an advanced stage, thankfully). He's now on steroids and antibiotics and is feeling so much better. But, Charlie was SUCH a big boy at the hospital. He did everything the nurses and doctor asked him to do without too much of a fuss. He cooperated with the breathing treatment, blood pressure, X-rays, everything! I was so proud of him!
Unfortunately though, we were at the ER from 12:30a until 4:00a, and then had to head to the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled. We didn't get home until 4:30a. Charlie was up the entire time. He slept until noon on Tuesday, so we got a late start coming home. But, the good news is, we're home and he's on the mend! Now we just have to try to keep Chase from catching it.
In spite of getting sick, Charlie did have fun on Monday. He loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa's new pool table. And he got to ride on Grandpa's tractor with his Dad. That, of course, was a big hit! He was totally mesmerized! Grandpa even taught him how to raise the bucket up and down. There's no way that could be topped, right? Well...
Grandpa made Charlie a bulldozer for Christmas, so that, by far, was the highlight of the trip. Charlie took the bulldozer with him to bath time. It sat right beside his bed at bedtime, and it even went with us to the hospital. Charlie also kept the bulldozer on his lap the entire ride home. He loves it!
So, that was our Tennessee trip in a nutshell. A drive over the mountain, a Dada trip to Massachusetts, an Owen Christmas party, a sick Mama, a Harbison Christmas gathering, a tractor ride, a new bulldozer, a sick Charlie...
...and a partridge in a pear tree!
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| A rare picture of Mama (albeit a sick Mama, but hey!) |
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| Charlie enjoyed riding the pony... |
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| ...but the tractor was definitely his favorite! |
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| What a cool picture (although you can tell Charlie doesn't feel good.) |
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| Now it's Charlie's turn to drive! |
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| Just like a contractor... takin' a break on the job! |
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| Remember a similar picture from his first birthday party? |
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| Charlie opens his Christmas present from Grandpa |
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| How cool is that?! |
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| He loves, loves, loves his bulldozer. |
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| Chase actually sitting on someone's lap, other than Mama! |
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| I like this picture too with Grandma and Charlie in the foreground and Grandpa and Chase in the background. |
